Pigs fed on dead animals at Worcestershire farm

1:49pm Thursday 6th March 2014

PIGS were feeding off the bodies of a dead sheep and lamb at a Worcestershire farm, a court heard.

Animal welfare officers received a complaint from a member of the public, claiming they could see dead sheep in one of the fields at Gould Life Pinvin Poulty Ltd, which sells lamb, pork, bacon, sausages, chickens and eggs and also advertises that it has a number of rare and unusual breeds of animal.

When officers from Worcestershire Regulatory Services attended the premises at Woodhall Farm, in Drakes Broughton, near Pershore, owned by Keith Gould, on March 5 last year, they witnessed pigs feeding on the dead carcases of a sheep and a lamb, and also found a number of other carcases and bones discarded nearby.

The 52-year-old appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday, February 27, and pleaded guilty to two offences of failing to dispose of animal carcases correctly.

He was fined £2,500 with a victim surcharge of £120 and ordered to pay costs of £1,796.49.

Worcestershire Regulatory Services joint committee chairman, Councillor Lucy Hodgson, said this case demonstrated how animal welfare is taken very seriously.

She said: “It is important that members of the public bring to our attention any concerns they may have regarding the welfare of farm animals.

“The law sets out very clearly that animal carcases must be disposed of in accordance with strict regulations to ensure that only animals free from disease reach the food chain.